The present invention relates generally to a destination specifying method for a vehicle navigation system, and more specifically to a destination specifying method for a navigation system that sets a destination by inputting a telephone number.
A vehicle navigation system providing travel guidance to a driver of a vehicle, whereby the driver can easily reach the desired destination, detects the position of the vehicle and reads map data for the area surrounding the vehicle position from a map storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, DVD, etc. In a MAP GUIDE MODE, the navigation system draws the map on a display screen and superimposes a vehicle position mark on a specific place on the map. As the vehicle""s present position varies according to the movement of the vehicle, the system moves the vehicle position mark along the guide route, or scrolls the map with the vehicle position mark fixed at a specific position, so that the driver can see a detailed map around the vehicle position with a single glance. In an ARROW GUIDE MODE, the guide route and the roads intersecting the guide route, etc., are displayed in a simplified manner, and the traveling direction at an intersection is displayed with an arrow. Also, the distance to the intersection, direction to the destination, distance to the destination, etc., are displayed, and the traveling direction at the intersection may be guided with a voice output.
In order to receive route guidance in the MAP GUIDE MODE or ARROW GUIDE MODE, the driver inputs the destination so that the system can search a guide route to the destination. The following are methods a driver may use to input a destination:
(1) directly input the address of a destination,
(2) in case of the destination being an intersection, specify two streets and input the intersection,
(3) directly input the Place Name of a POI (Point of Interest) as being a destination or the telephone number; or input the Place Type of a POI and display a candidate list for the Place Name and select the desired Place Name as the destination from the candidate list,
(4) display the latest xe2x80x9cnxe2x80x9d destinations, and select the present destination from among them,
(5) select a destination from locations registered beforehand in the address book, and
(6) specify a destination directly on the map using the cursor.
In order to input a POI as a destination by a telephone number, the user performs the following steps: (1) designating that the destination is being set by the telephone number, (2) inputting the leading few digits of the telephone number, (3) after inputting the leading few digits and the system displays a scrollable list of telephone numbers having the same leading digits selecting a desired telephone number from this list, or inputting all of the digits of the telephone number, (4) after inputting the telephone number and the system displays the detailed information (name, address, direction from the present position, distance, etc.) of the POI having the telephone number on the upper part of the screen, confirming that the selection is correct. Thus, the user completes the inputting of the destination.
However, one telephone number can be shared by a plurality of facilities in the same building, or by a plurality of facilities (restaurants, shops, etc.) in a shopping mall. In case of a free dial 1-800 number, sometimes one telephone number can be shared by as many as ninety facilities. Further, one telephone number can be shared by a plurality of facilities having different addresses. For example, when a plurality of doctors have offices in different places in a hospital complex that has one representative telephone number, the operator receives a telephone call placed to the representative telephone number of the hospital and puts the call through to the office of the doctor to receive the call by the extension line.
When a plurality of facilities share one telephone number and the user inputs the telephone number to search the destination, the conventional system only displays the representative name (for example, name of the shopping mall, name of the hospital, etc.) on the screen. Thus, the user cannot get a clear idea as to what kind of facilities and/or shops are available in the shopping mall or building, or whether the facilities and/or shops that the user desires are available. Accordingly, the user may be disappointed to find that the desired facilities and/or shops are not available, when the user sets and actually visits the destination. Further, in case of a hospital, when the user sets the destination and actually visits the hospital, the kind of doctor, which department, and which office location may not be obvious, and sometimes it happens that the doctor in charge has an office at a different location. Thus, as mentioned above, the conventional navigation system has the problem that the system cannot provide sufficient information to the user in searching a destination by a telephone number when one telephone number is shared by a plurality of facilities.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide sufficient information to a user in the setting of a destination by a telephone number.
The method of specifying a destination by a telephone number of the invention comprises: (1) configuring a database that associates a telephone number with a name, address, and location of a facility, and when a plurality of facilities share one telephone number, configuring a database that associates the one telephone number with a plurality of the facility names, (2) displaying a telephone number list on a display screen, when a destination is set by a telephone number, (3) when a specific telephone number is selected from the list, or when a telephone number is directly inputted, if the telephone number is associated with a plurality of facilities, displaying a facility name list of a plurality of the facilities, (4) and when a facility is selected from the facility name list, displaying detailed information about the selected facility. With this method of the invention, the user will be able to determine a destination by referring to the facility name list or the detailed information about the facilities.
Further, according to the invention, in the telephone number list displayed on the display screen, a specific icon is displayed near a telephone number associated with a plurality of facilities to distinguish it from other telephone numbers. This will enable a user to easily recognize whether the telephone number is associated with a plurality of facilities or not.
Thus, according to the invention, the names of facilities that share a telephone number and detailed information about the facilities are displayed on the screen, and the user receives sufficient information.